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Back for some more good advice. I've recently come across a 96 Crown Victoria ex Fresno police car, 100,000 miles, for only $200! There is however a catch, the car does run but it has rod knock. Also it needs new seats. I have no idea how hard the rod knock would be to fix, anyone out there know? I've only ever owned pre 70 cars and the thought of opening up a modern car and making it pass smog is a little daunting.

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Those 4.6 SOHC motors are precision built. As a result, even disassembly MUST be done in specific sequence, even just unbolting the head! All bolts are what are called "torque to yield". They must be replaced each time. At least I know the head bolts. The rods have the big end is physically broken or "cracked" off instead if machine like we know them. As a result, if the rod is out of wack, it can't be rebuilt, it gets tossed into the circular file.

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Well if the engine has a "rod knock" then the whole engine will prbobably need gone through and re-built. At least the crank will have to be removed and ground for undersized bearings. I would say 200 is a fair deal, if the car is Fuel Injected and has Mass Air. You could use that to swap your car to FI. You could probably part it out for what you have in it, or more.

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The cops never keep them that long. Although cab drivers have the reputation of driving like idiots, they generally stay on the road and under 115mph.

Cops ba-ja over curbs and through ditches and medians then, after turning around, have to catch up with speeders doing 85.
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My boyfriend did some ride alongs last month in preparation for the academy - he got a real kcik outta the ride.

Glenn 66 GT FB 351w-toploader-3.25 Trac-Loc 9-in. Former midwest Rustbucket. Now a trophy-winning, beautiful burgundy restomod - thanks to sheetmetal donations from 3 other Mustangs as well as some new panels and alot of cash.

Just some guy

If you're really interested in the car, consider a used engine. Look out for a wrecked Mercury Marquis or a "grandma" Crown Vic. They're out there since grandmas aren't necessarily the best drivers and tend to have good insurance. I would check around and see what an engine would cost you before buying the car though. Add the price of the car to the price of the engine plus the labor to change them out and see if you're still interested.
The cop engine is nothing special, only very minor differences between it and a "passenger" car. The car itself on the other hand has "cop" suspension, cop brakes, cop rear axle, cop cooling, and likely a reinforced chassis. (Think Blues Brothers)
I wouldn't bother trying to fix or rebuild the sick 4.6, the price would likely be triple that of a good used engine.

.... it wouldn't be the first time reality took theory and conjecture out behind the woodshed and gave them a good thrashing.
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